New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-26

never sech before in the mines. He must have mac
the hat long time for though it had kept III
shape, having evidently been preserved with 1eai
Gus care, the edges were worn nearly white a.
also portions of the rim, both front and back
The elbows, knees and seams of the black sun
were in pretty much the same condition. lie mac
anR, straight hair apparently beached by .he sun
4 long, worn looking face with suffering La
away look about the pinched drawn mouth nn'
. noticed particularly very lonS-unusually long
thin flexible fingeIs. lie was O gentleman uloush
that was certain, Of class not often seen at tha'
time in those mountains l took him 10 DC
| French Southerner.
| Tho morning had been very hot; inc piceH'
rarely struck the river at that season until AFTER
noon. The old fellow was pretty well tagged out
and lust rs he was in front of our tent the pack Oh
tho foremost mule turned, and he gave broken
down sort of sigh he stopped to fix 10. Hhriy
and / sprang up and after righting his pack II
occurred to us both at the same moment that inc
| old man had better take a rest but Harry SPOKE
drst-he was always the qucker-and said:
"ProfCssor"-and the title seemed to me most
appropriate- Professor, your animals seem 10 DC
\ little used up: better take eff the pack ana
breathe them q little 1t is just about noon, ana
we sh,ll be Glad to have you stay and take meal
with us. You make Jim Town easy enough
Il YOU start from here at 3. Wen help you WIN
your pack and start YOU off fresh and good as new
Well the old gentleman looked so grateful that
we had the pack off in minute, mcketed on1 MS
animals to grass, and then Harry, without SAYING
word brought him little tin pannikin of toddy,
and then laid him out towel, soap and fvatcr
for q wash He had just freshened up little
when the gong struck for dinner and the three OF
walked over &c the boarding-house. The boys
were all seated when entered, for we had sharp
arpetites those days. Captain Paines seat at the
head of the table was vacant, and Harry, hearing
that the captain was busy down at the race, gave
il to the stranger, taking our seats beside HIM
The boys all looked at the conner curlousY but
kindly for as l have said, they were fine set oil
fellows.
"Irofessor.' said Harry, Il have not learned
your name yet"
"Crescie is my NAME he replied, Doctor
Crescie Cres-oie, he said repeating the syllaoes
and accentng the last two vOwels.
professor Crscie. gentlemen said Harry, In
Producing him and sticking to the title
The Professor and bowed, whereupon, as
was glad to see, the boys all rose to welcome the
old gentleman. Before they had time to Sit down
AGAIN or from their surprise he SAID short
grace and pronOunced a benediction, saying:
May the blessing of God rest upon this hospita'
ole roof and upon all beneath IL Amen
This took our men little abacll, for we were
not accustomed to ceremony Of any kind In the
mines, or to grace before meat but could see
they did not like the Professor any the less. All
ot them looked at him curiously however, from
time to time. when they thought he was unob-
servant of them.
After dinner the three of us walked over to the
tent and lay down in the shade. l don't Know
why have called the stranger the odd gentle
man," for he was not old-scarcey over forty, 1
should think, but he had seen hard times evidently,
and his unsuitable attire dusty and travel-stained
enhanced O certain weary, worn out look.
noticed that all the men alluded TO him as the
old man." After q while, being rested and re-
trcshed he became quite laxative, and We learned
30 our surprise that we were to have him for our
neighbOr-that is, q ncighbor for those parts.
81 am going to run tunnel into the Table
Mountain, gentlemen" he said up yonder, where
you see that green spot"
a tunnel - said Harry, "what for-waterp'
"For water? All no for gold" he replied.
shall strike water 10 doubt plenty of it and it viii
not be unwclcome, for shall raise little some
hing there-some corn, melons, garden seuil, ana
4 field OF clover for pasture, where Nature has
evidently prepared it for the hand of man.
For gold y said Harry sharply, giving him
<een look and on the sly touching his forehead to
me Significantly. did l understand you to say
for gold-up there on the ton Of the mountain?
| must tell you that at this time nobody had
dreamed of gold in the Table Mountain, or any
other mountain but in the river, creek and gulch
channels. SO our surprise was natural.
"Yes Tor gold" said the old gentleman firmly.
and with combative air; "for gold-why not
You are mining in the channel Of a living stream
| propose tD nllc Ill tIc tINtJINi VI ~ NN'N viz
Yes" seeing our surprise, "a dead river-onc to
which your little stream here compares as rlvuiet
to the Mississippi. This table-and which you see
is not mere local formation. 1t has It's origin IN
the lofty volcanic region far away from here III
Calaveras IL comes down on the north side OF
the Stanslaus and causes a continuous elevated
ridge more than two thousand feet above the river
Just below the ferry the river-Cie
Stanislaus mean-has broken through
but it reappeas little southwest of
Columbia and continues on the south side
of the river for a great many miles. Now, SAID
the Professor, warming with his subject, his eyes
elistening, and his pale, Worn face lighting up with
enthusiasm, this so-caled Table Mountain, tho
summit of which is covered by heavy bed OF
basoltic lava, occasionally distinctly columDar Is
nothing but ancient river channel OF some Kind,
and what other channel could it have been save
that of a rivcrP This little stream looking OF
tho Stanslaus conteinptuously "and other kindred
streams running parallel to it, are but modern
formation-a thing Of yesterday, The great stream
which l am about to explore runs nearly at right
angles 10 them. 1 have explored its eouisc, it's
character, its fossil remains, evidenced in places
where there has been an outwash Occasioncd by
the modern streams. Yes, continued the Professor
lHndling, II have found remains Of animals OF
the ploccne-Of the upper teriilries-of the group
which preceded tie era Of volcanic activiy-thc
group which lived upon this earth i'll countless
thousands Of years ago, although their geological day
was still but as yesterday. They lived III an age
when the rivers all ran thousands of feet above
their present channel ] have found remains of the
rhinoceros, of an animal allied TO the hippopota-
mus of extinct SPECIES of horse, and of species
allied 10 the camel-all peculiar TO the deposits
underlying the lava, ard which did not survive
tho great catastrophe by which the forests and
streams in which they lived were annihatod. 1
have found the imprints OF leaves differing from
those Of any trees known TO California, and
ais distinct from The mioccne teriarics OF Oregon,
Nebraska, or any other portion OF the continent.
Yes yes, wonderful Indeed are the changes which
have taken place throughout The entire Sierra
BY this time quite lot of our boys had sauntered
up to listen and were looking significantly and
cQmpassionately at one another as Harry had done
at ne. But Portugce Jake, or Big Jake, rs we
sometimes called him, took it all in as GOSPEL
truth, and sat with his eyes dilatcd, fixed upon
the Professor, his mouth wide open, and n curious
nynressnn ON his face OF sllnromn hsS and n1iGcn-